Bike Sales Boom

If you’re a cyclist of thinking about taking up cycling, you’re part of a growing movement, because riding a bike has become so popular that shops are running out.

Demand for bikes has tripled in the past 12 months despite price rises and retailers are struggling to keep up with it. The bike boom comes as the rest of the UK high street struggles, with retail sales falling. Two-wheeled commuters are behind the boom, taking up cycling as an alternative to driving.

A recent survey by the Association of Cycle Traders showed that 95 per cent of specialist bike retailers were struggling with shortages. Half of the local bike shops which respond to its monthly sales survey said sales, which include accessories and workshop servicing, had soared by over 20 per cent in June, with 83 per cent reporting an increase compared to last year

But bike experts have also pointed to the popularity of the Government's ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme – which uses tax incentives to entice employees onto two wheels – to explain the sales surge. The scheme is estimated to account for as much as half of all sales in some bike shops. One of its biggest operators, Cyclescheme, said it had doubled the number of vouchers, which are exchanged for bikes, it issued in the past 12 months.